Although the summer months may be the time of year we most want to be outside, they may be the worst time of year to do so since air pollution and “bad air” days can occur more frequently in many parts of the U.S. this time of year. Kirstin McPolin tells us what to look out for during these dog days of summer.

First in our new series of personal profiles, read this inspiring portrait about advocacy and how Louise Kuo Habakus, author of Vaccine Epidemic, became involved in her work as an author, advocate, and speaker.

Another fabulous installment from Camille Sowinski, one of our board members and a pioneer in the Green School movement in California. You too can take advantage of the green momentum by starting small and offering to be the green classroom parent.

For these stories and more, check out Real Mama’s Summer 2011 E-newsletter below.

And don’t forget to get your reusable veggie bags and help to support Real Mama at the same time!

Recognizing that families and caregivers are short on time and that environmental issues and actions can be complex, Real Mama researches and reviews some of the latest environmental topics and concerns for today’s busy families.

Follow Real Mama on Facebook and Twitter!

Inspiring, earthy and wise, guest author Wendy Weiner writes about transforming your yard into a garden…maybe even your front yard!

Is your family addicted to screen-time? TV, iPhone, DS, computer, etc… Guest author Heather Heggie reveals how much fun, free time and closer connections her family uncovered when they decided to go “unplugged” for a year.

Did you know several over the counter medications can cause birth defects in utero? Guest author Sean McCahill from drugwatch.com cautions pregnant mamas to be aware, specifically of the drugs Accutane and Yaz.

Schools in our country produce tons of trash each week. Camille Sowinski is a pioneer in the Green School movement in her town in California. In an ongoing series, she shares tips to help your child’s school go greener and reduce their lunchtime load.

For these stories and more, check out Real Mama’s Spring 2011 E-newsletter below.

And don’t forget to get your reusable veggie bags and help to support Real Mama at the same time!

Recognizing that families and caregivers are short on time and that environmental issues and actions can be complex, Real Mama researches and reviews some of the latest environmental topics and concerns for today’s busy families.

Follow Real Mama on Facebook and Twitter!

The Quick Facts: The temptation to embrace technology is at an all-time high and often society sends parents’ many messages that our life would be “more connected” and peaceful with the use of technology, all around us. As parents, we decided that a significant change in our family’s lifestyle and health could begin with eliminating TV, computer games, and computer devices. We were successful in our effort.


Our family recently celebrated our one-year anniversary (October 2009-October 2010) of being an “almost entirely unplugged television/computer family.” What started as an effort to “intentionally direct and discipline” our kids, as parents we decided that a significant change in our family’s lifestyle and health could begin with eliminating TV, computer games and all in-car computer and TV devices. We were successful in our effort.

We are a family with three kids (ages 8, 6, and 4 years old) and had not owned a Wii game device or any DS type hand-held devices, but did typically DVR-record age-appropriate TV shows and had three Leapster learning devices often used in the car for long drives. We also lack a movie player in our cars, but had used portable devices on airplanes and vacations. Our kids were not largely in front of screens (e.g., all mediums), but the desire seemed to be higher than our comfort zone as parents of these sweet kids.

As opposed to continually playing with each other as siblings and as a family, we felt the “plugged-in activities” (i.e., TV, movies, computer, Leapsters) disconnected us because they chose them individually. Albeit, while TV/movies can be considered “sitting together,” it was not “playing together” and working-out true life and problem-solving skills and having “natural fun” with one another. So, the “experiment” began.

After one week of unplugging and the “detox” occurred, the “habit” of turning to electronics minimized and all three kids stopped asking for access to these devices. After two weeks of unplugging, the kids understood our “new way of life” as a family. Admittedly, in those first two weeks, it was harder on us, the parents, than the kids at all. It was humbling to realize how much we as parents had “depended” on technology to interact with our kids and even to create a quiet, peaceful home environment when we felt the chaos was at a high or the “rainy day weather” prompted us. Interestingly enough, and it should not have surprised me, but the kids adapted very well and they even shared with their friends while at their respective houses that they no longer were watching TV and movies and suggested they should just “play together.”

My fears as we entered the “unplugged age” in our household was that I would need to become an “all-age/grade” teacher with thousands of craft ideas and fun games to “grab their attention” — daily! To my surprise again, the kids began to use their imagination and explore outside of desks and couches—and truly played with each other as siblings. I often did prompt their activities by displaying more board games at night for them to see in the morning and placing craft supplies in clearer sight. In addition, our trips to the library increased 110%, which allowed our kids to dig into books, instead of watching stories told to them.

After four months, we wondered how long we would continue our experiment and truly we had no timeline in place — just curious excitement during the process. We had to manage our way through ordinary life events that were natural triggers to turning on electronic devices, some of which were: entertaining kids’ friends when they came over: having other families over for dinner and managing entertainment for all –especially when adults wanted quiet time together: planning amusement for a rainy day: attempting to have an important adult phone call without disruptions; filling in activities during a long school break.

It is my pleasure to report that in a few short months my kids stopped asking for any form of electronic entertainment. Feeling like we accomplished our goal, on the eve of our six-month mark, we decided to initiate some form of a “plugged-in” life back into our household. We began “Sunday night movie night” where the parents picked the movie and we watched it together. This was a huge hit and the excitement toward the time together made it all the more fun and special. We began to cherish these times together and the joy “of anticipation” made the experience equally special.

At the one-year mark, we have still implemented Sunday night movies, but sometimes they fall on Friday or Saturday, depending on the activities or plans for the specific weekend. Also, we have stayed strong that Monday through Friday, there is still no screen time, computer or TV.
We have connected this year as a family and intentionally chose to minimize something that is surely all around us. The temptation to embrace technology is at an all-time high and often society sends parents’ many messages that our life would be “more connected” and peaceful with the use of technology, all around us. My kids may not be as “tech savvy” as their friends, but I believe their dependence upon electronic “things” to create joy has decreased tremendously and our entire family’s necessity for technology is truly less than we even realized, one short year ago.

This 2010, our family made a name for our house and titled it: “The Impossibility Shop,” where anything is possible and the impossible can become reality. By the five of us PLUGGING into EACH OTHER—we have accomplished our goal. Now, we are “imagining” our time together instead “watching” our time together and we believe this is by far, for the better for the long-term.

Heather Heggie is a wife and mother to three immensely creative children. She loves to run and spend time with her friends and family. She is deeply connected to her church and children’s school.

Four years ago I moved to my new home. It’s a typical suburban home found anywhere: grass to the foundational plantings and driveway on the side of the house creating a separation from the neighbor’s yard. Big beautiful shade trees in the back yard offer cooling shade in the summer, and there are a few perennial plants and a lot of creeping English ivy, compliments of one of my neighbor’s.

At my previous home I had a large fenced in vegetable garden in the back yard and an equally large medicinal herb garden in the front yard. It was my intention to recreate another vegetable garden but was limited in the back of this new place by lack of sun. I hesitated at first to put the garden in front, not wanting to “upset” the status quo in town. But that thought didn’t hold much weight with me as I really didn’t care what anyone thought of my plan and, furthermore, I would make a loud statement that what we need more than grass is food! My front yard would be far more attractive and productive than the Jones’.

I began with four 4 feet by 8 feet raised bed boxes the first year; by the end of the season I added 2 more and the following year I added yet 3 more. Last year, I removed one of the pathways and filled in between 3 of the boxes for more growing space. Also, I have: enclosed the entire garden with a sweet little fence; planted blueberries and raspberries along the inside of the fence; built 2 rainwater collection systems that hold 300 gallons of water — which supplies my drip irrigation system that waters the fruits and vegetables; built a trellis along the west side of the house to support a kiwi vine; yanked out a couple of ewes alongside the foundation on the side of the house to plant potatoes; and installed some fruit trees out back. In the late season I use cold frames on top of the existing boxes and create temporary greenhouses to cover parts of the garden to extend the growing season so I can have fresh greens in winter.

Now, I live on a busy street that is 5 houses down from a traffic light. During heavy traffic times it is not unusual for the cars to be backed-up in front of my house, so putting the garden in the front yard wasn’t just going to be visible to my immediate neighbors but to anyone who passed on that main artery around town. As it happened, commuters began shouting out their windows: “I don’t know what you’re doing but it looks great,” or “Your garden is beautiful,” and “Great job.” I’ve waved people in and invited them for a look; several of them did just that. Anyone that walked by and made a comment has been invited in for a closer look. I’ve offered up tomatoes and flowers to anyone who has shown interest and I’ve had strangers come knock on the door to fulfill their curiosity. Most important to me were the immediate neighbors who came by to meet me and share their impressions. For the past 2 seasons I was chosen by the town garden club to receive “The Random Acts of Beauty Award.”

My garden feeds me on a deeply spiritual level and from what I can tell delights strangers and friends who like to tell me stories about their gardens or those from their pasts. I have been vegetable gardening for 25+ years and it is never the same from year to year. Each season offers me the opportunity to expand my garden palette; stretching the limited amount of space I have, building new structures, and trying new techniques, and all the while producing food! I am always learning, taking workshops, doing trainings, reading books or just copying ideas I’ve seen. So … if you have a hankering to put your hands in the soil, start with some of the following ideas.

First, dream: Plan your garden with no limitations or boundaries, and fantasize how magical a space you can create. Don’t worry about planting something that could take years to fruit, it is just one part of your creation. Trees, shrubs, or vines can take years to fruit, but time in the garden is relative. There will always be ongoing projects that will have your attention, so watching and waiting for a tree to fruit is not going to keep your attention for long. The garden is a project that is on-going, will materialize in stages and keep shifting, so start with a bold idea and tackle it in chunks. Be open to shifts and changes as they arise in the garden; remember that most plants can be moved if so desired.

Dream of pathways and arbors, espaliers and living walls — whimsical thinking is a fun place to start. If it is appropriate, how about chickens and bees which can play an integral part in your garden. Chickens are thought of as living machines as they eat scraps and bugs and turn them into compost. They clean, till, and fertilize land that will be ready for planting. They make eggs, meat, and entertainment.Think about collecting rainwater, drip irrigation, and compost bins (homemade). Plant flowers in the vegetable garden to beautify and bring in the pollinators. Put vegetables in the perennial beds for attractive interests (e.g., Bright Lights Chard or Red Russian Kale). Grow medicinal herbs now, even if you don’t know how to use them; often times, they are attractive and will give you medicine when you are ready. Some examples are purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea), marigold (Calendula officinalis), anise hyssop (agastache foeniculumMatricaria chamomilla), then when the time is right you can play around with making teas, extracts, and salves.

Collaborate with your neighbors: You say you have a lot of ideas but don’t have the space? Ask your neighbor to grow the squash and you will provide the tomatoes. Grow flowers and small fruiting vegetables that will ooze over the fence to attract new people to your garden. Entice a passerby with a cherry tomato; this is a way to engage neighbors you may not already know. Chatting about what’s growing and offering a snack or flower is an invitation to share gardening information which could then lead to trading ideas, tools, and surplus.

Reuse materials: Start dumpster-diving to gather building materials. Scrap wood (untreated) can be used to construct beds or build platforms for water barrels, bamboo for trellises, wire and fencing for binding and making art in the garden. Also, if you know that your neighbor doesn’t use chemicals on their lawn, you may want their grass clippings to use as mulch. Don’t have enough trees to meet your leaf needs? Just walk down the street and load up your wheel barrow and behold the abundance lying in the streets on leaf collection days. Start a leaf mold compost pile. Don’t forget the bounty awaiting you at your neighborhood coffee shop; they are only too happy to save you their coffee grinds for your hungry compost piles.

Containers: These are your next option when you are out of space or need to create space. Save large cans; rectangular olive tins, cafeteria sized tomato cans, barrels, old boots and shoes, and metal garbage cans all make viable options for growing. Consider putting a big container on caster wheels if you want the option of moving your container.

Shrubbery: So how about those foundation plantings that were put in when the house was built and are now covering the windows? Sometimes they are invisible — we don’t realize that they are taking-up valuable food growing space. Yank ‘em! Pull out that tired old ewe and install blueberry shrubs, currants, or strawberries. The foundation plantings can still be attractive and serve more importantly as a source of food. Edible landscaping should be the lens in which you see foundational planting.

Edible Forests: Plant trees that will produce nuts and fruits, and incorporate vegetables and fruits, such as strawberries, underneath while they are still maturing and have access to sunlight. By doing this, you are again maximizing space and expanding the variety of food in your yard. Also, form a hedgerow of trees and shrubs to break the wind and create habitat for animals and insects.

Living Cooling Walls: Grow vines along the house. Kiwi is a vine that can be trained to grow up a trellis that can be attached to the house. Planted on the south or west side, it will flourish in the heat while providing a cooling action. Trees planted close to the house will dramatically change the interior temperature of a home.

Extend the Seasons: Build a mobile cold frame to get a jump on the season or for season extension later in the year. Temporary hoop houses are very inexpensive and easy to build and work great over a raised bed box. That same structure can be covered with an agricultural cloth to keep the unwanted insects out and protect your crop from damage.

In sum, free your mind and explore what can take shape in your garden. Do the radical thing and take control of how and where your food is grown and own it! I wish you late day showers, delicious foods, visits from bees, and dirty hands.

Wendy has been gardening for more than 25 years. She has grown herbs for the herbal medicine industry, maintained perennial gardens, been a gardener for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and has most recently started a service called The Front Yard Farmer in which she installs, maintains and teaches vegetable gardening to homeowners, apartment dwellers and businesses. For more information about her business, visit www.thefrontyardfarmer.net.

The Quick Facts: A disturbing number of birth defects are caused by the use of dangerous medications during pregnancy, and many can be prevented through greater awareness and safer practices.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect.  A disturbing number of these are caused by the use of dangerous medications during pregnancy, and many can be prevented through greater awareness and safer practices.

Throughout the history of modern medicine, a number of popular medications have been linked to serious birth defects and fetal death after being on the market for quite some time.  Some of the most widely known include thalidomide, a medication used during the mid-1900s as a sedative and antiemetic agent, and Accutane, a medication used since the 1980s to treat severe acne.

Yet, even many unsuspecting drugs may increase a women’s risk of having a baby with a birth defect.  Yaz, one of the most popular birth control pills on the market, has been cited in various studies as a medication that may potentially cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy.  With an average failure rate of 5 percent, many women unknowingly expose their baby to the drug before their pregnancy can be detected.

Many women who have suffered because of Yaz and other medications have sought legal recourse against drug manufacturers by filing a Yaz lawsuit, as well as lawsuits against other manufacturers of dangerous medications.  Consumer advocates have argued that in a number of instances, negligent drug companies have hidden or downplayed serious risks posed to pregnant women by their medications.

Experts around the nation continue to express astonishment and concern over the amount of dangerous drugs used by many pregnant women today.  In today’s environment of ubiquitous medication use, health care professionals are instructing women to speak with their doctor before taking any new medication, regardless of whether it is available by prescription or over-the-counter.  Because even common pain medications such as Aleve and Aspirin can cause harm to a developing baby, patient advocates are warning women to air on the side of caution for their own safety and the safety of their baby.

For more information on drugs that can cause harmful effects during pregnancy, visit www.DrugWatch.com .

Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/meds/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, “Medications and Pregnancy” section

http://www.rxlist.com/yaz-drug.htm, RxList Inc., The Internet Drug Index.
http://www.kellymom.com/ Evidence-based advice on breastfeeding, sleep and parenting.

Sean McCahill is the Managing Director for Drugwatch.com. Drugwatch.com offers information Drugs and their associated side effects. Sean spreads awareness to patients and consumers and is able to help with patients that have been affected by the side effects. Drugwatch.com was formed in September of 2009 and are look forward to working with patients for years to come. You can contact Sean directly at Sean [at] Drugwatch.com.